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Jaltemba Bay Folk Forum

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Contact Us

Jaltemba Bay Life is a community website for Rincón de Guayabitos, La Peņita, Los Ayala, and La Colonia, which are all located in the heart of the beautiful Riviera Nayarit, Mexico.

Our goal is to provide the most up-to-date information for the entire Jaltemba Bay area. If you have news or information you want to add, or a story you'd like to share, please email us!

April 18, 2011

welcome / bienvenidos

Welcome to all 779 subscribers of the Jaltemba Bay Life Newsletter, and many more who view it on our sponsor site, Jaltemba Bay Life, and our forum.

You may have noticed that the highway has just been re-striped, the traffic has increased, there are dozens of cars and buses in town, and the campers have started to arrive. These are all tell-tale signs that Semana Santa has begun. If you haven't experienced Semana Santa before, here are a few tips: 1) stock up on groceries if you haven't already done so, 2) allow extra time no matter where you're going, 3) walk or bike whenever possible because it's likely that there won't be a parking spot available, and 4) embrace the families who have traveled here to enjoy their once-yearly vacation. This is Mexico after all!

A few members of the Guayabitos Homeowner's Association organize a Daily Beach Clean Up during Semana Santa. You'll see them walking or driving their 4-wheelers picking up loose garbage as well as full trash bags filled by the multitude of campers. They start at the estero on the north end of the Guayabitos beach and end at the Hotel Zone (FYI: the hotels do their own beach clean up). The members have an adequate supply of garbage bags, but can always use more hands. It's not a pretty job, but if anyone wants to pitch in and help, please contact David at (327) 274-1150.

In case you haven't noticed, several small pillars have been installed along the newly paved street around the plaza in La Penita (click here to view photos). This is obviously an attempt to keep cars from driving on this particular stretch of the road. Apparently, there is some dispute by a few of the business owners there, so the project has yet to be completed. We'll include an update and additional photos as information is available.

We realize that high season has just come to an end, but vacationers are already starting to look for the perfect place to stay next winter. We know this, because the number of reservation requests on our site has nearly doubled in the last few weeks. If you have a vacation rental home, B&B, condo, apartment, trailer park, or hotel and want to receive more bookings, consider advertising on our site. Read the last article for additional information.

To find out what's going on this week, read through the information below. Be sure to take a peek at our online Community Calendar for even more local happenings.

We are always looking for people to write articles, share information, and submit photos for the Photo of the Week feature. If you are interested, just email us.

We want to THANK YOU for taking the time to read this issue of the Jaltemba Bay Life Newsletter. We value your opinions and feedback. Please contact us if you have comments, suggestions, and ideas about how we can make our community website, forum, and weekly newsletter even better.

This week's "Photo of the Week" is actually a series of crazy beautiful shots taken by Kiersten Rowland from Prema Photographic (she also does work for Elizabeth Lloyd Photography in PV). Kiersten stopped by the Spay & Neuter Clinic in La Peņita, which was held two weeks ago. A sincere thank you for documenting Day #1 so artistically and for sharing the photos with all of us. Click here to view the entire photo gallery.

Photos of the JBAR Spay & Neuter ClinicBy Kiersten Rowland

If you enjoy taking pictures, why not send us some of your favorite photos taken in the Jaltemba Bay area? Email us a title for the photos, a brief description of the photos and/or where they were taken, and the photographer's name. We feature photos as we receive them.

FEATURED ARTICLES

NEW Forum Banner

In case you haven't notice, the Jaltemba Bay Folk Forum has a bold new face designed by none other than Tom Plattenberger himself (for those of you who don't know Tom, he is the founder of the original Jaltemba Bay Folk). The new banner (shown above) is the result of a simultaneous photo shoot organized by Tom on April 5th. There were seven participants, each of whom entered three shots. The winning photo now graces our forum. Here is a link to the photo entries and the new banner... click here.

A big thank you Tom and all the participants.

DID YOU KNOW?

Jaltemba Bay Area History

By David Thompson

This week's "Did You Know" resulted in my desire to learn more about the history of Jaltemba Bay.

I will be interviewing many local residents to gather memories of the past in word and in photos. Anyone's help will be greatly appreciated. If you know someone that would be willing to share information, please contact me via email or by phone at (327) 274-1150.

The "Did You Know?" feature runs on the Jaltemba Bay Folk Forum, as well as here in our newsletter. Sometimes we create polls with questions about the Jaltemba Bay area; other times, we include interesting facts and/or information to peak our readers' interest. If you have ideas for this feature, please email David.

COMMUNITY CORNER

Los Amigos Meeting Update

By Dave Easby

The March 28 Meeting of Los Amigos marked the end of another successful season; the decision has been made to cancel the general meeting that had been tentatively scheduled for April 25.

It was an eventful year -- the Recycling Program has been expanded, we launched the Buy Local Campaign, a number of education projects were completed, and we held another successful Fiesta. One of the highlights of the Fiesta was the fact that a number of individuals stepped forward to sponsor scholarships, so we will now be able to provide financial support to 40 students at the CONALEP.

This past week also marked the first meeting of the group's new Management Council, which is composed of our current Executive and the Chairs of our various committees. The first meeting was spent discussing ways to streamline the way we operate, as well as to develop a fundraising plan to support our many initiatives.

We want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who volunteered this past year or who contributed in so many other ways.

The Jaltemba La Peņita Rotary Club's bi-weekly news bulletin is a rich resource of information about community projects in and around the Jaltemba Bay area. We encourage you to add your name to the Rotary club bulletin database. Besides discovering more about the many interesting projects, you will have a chance to learn about Rotary guest speakers who present on a weekly basis. Last week's speakers were from the Jaltemba Cup Golf Tournament. They, along with Los Amigos and the La Peņita Rotary Club, will be cooperating in the Plan de Ayala Secondary School computer lab project.

Events are a wonderful way to immerse yourself in, and learn about, the Mexican culture. Here is a list of upcoming holidays, festivals, events, and activities worth planning around. Also check out our Community Calendar for a complete list of what's going on in the Jaltemba Bay area. If you have information about an event, please email us so we can include it in our next issue.

This Week

*April 17-23

Semana Santa (Holy Week)

For Mexico, the Easter holiday is a combination of Semana Santa and Semana Pascua. Semana Santa, or Holy Week, runs from Palm Sunday to Easter Saturday; Semana Pascua runs from Easter Sunday, also known as Resurrection Sunday, until the following Saturday. For most Mexicans, this 2-week period is "the" time of year for holiday vacations. If you are planning to visit Mexico during Semana Santa, make sure you book your reservations well in advance... and be prepared for big crowds on the highways, in town, and along the beach!

Sunday, April 24

Easter Sunday

* Indicates possible non-working holidays.

** Schools, banks, post offices, and other public government offices

are closed during these Mexican National Holidays.

Upcoming

*April 24-30

Semana Pascua (Easter Week)

April 30

Día del Niņo (Children's Day)

This is not an official holiday, but it is traditional to give children small presents that day. Usually, elementary schools are closed on this day to honor the children.

**May 1

Dia del Trabajo (Labor Day)

Honors the Mexican victory over the French army at Puebla de los Angeles in 1862.

*May 5

Cinco de Mayo / Batalia de Puebla (Battle of Puebla)

The official anniversary of the country's victory over the French at Puebla. While Cinco de Mayo is a big celebration in the US, it is not a national holiday here in Mexico.

* Indicates possible non-working holidays.

** Schools, banks, post offices, and other public government offices

are closed during these Mexican National Holidays.

Ongoing

Mondays:

Los Amigos de La Peņita

Meetings are held on the second and fourth Mondays of each month Circuito Libertad #4 in La Peņita (on the street along the waterfront). There is a social gathering at 6:30pm, with the formal meeting starting at 7pm. All meetings start on time and are limited to an hour and a half. The agenda will be posted in advance on the Jaltemba Bay Folk Forum. Everyone is welcome to come and find out what Los Amigos is all about.

Wednesdays:

Rotary Club of Jaltemba Bay

Rotary Club meets Wednesday mornings at 7:30am at Piņa Colada Restaurant in Guayabitos. Members enjoy social time over breakfast with an official meeting beginning promptly at 8am. Various community leaders, business owners, entrepreneurs, and artists are invited as guest speakers to give members a better understanding of the region they serve.

Thursdays:

Tianguis in La Peņita

The Tianguis (open-air market) is held every Thursday in and around the Plaza in La Peņita (map) from 8am-1pm or so. It is "the" place to be and be seen on Thursdays... and to shop for silver jewelry, pottery, linens and tableclothes, glassware, Talavera plates and sinks, Huichol Indian artwork, and Oaxacan rugs and black clay pottery. You can buy everything from dried chiles, fresh fruits and veggies, homemade breads, and locally-produced honey and coffee beans, to new and used clothing, kitchen accessories, blender and stove parts, and just about anything else you can think of. The market in La Peņita is one of the largest and most well-known markets in the entire area.

FEATURED BUSINESSES + VACATION RENTALS

We are proud to promote these businesses, vacation rentals, and real estate listings on the Jaltemba Bay Life site. Please support these and the other local businesses that make our website possible through their advertising. Thank You!

NEW Muro de La Peņita

Hardware & Construction Materials

Wide selection of hardware and construction materials, plumbing and electrical supplies, and more.

Add your business, hotel, and/or vacation rental (rental home, condo, apartment, bed and breakfast, or trailer park) to our directories, and be seen by hundreds of locals and visitors each and every day. To find out how, call or email us today!

FEATURED REAL ESTATE

Listing your Real Estate By-Owner on our site is easy, affordable, and runs until you sell. And for a limited time, we will also include an ad for your property in our weekly newsletter like those shown below. Click here to find out how.

Casa de los Pelicanos

Guayabitos, Residential Zone

Classic two-story Mexican Colonial Villa, which is now an operating business. Enjoy the income, or just relax and enjoy life in paradise.

We realize that high season has just come to an end, but vacationers are already starting to look for the perfect place to stay next winter. We know this, because the number of reservation requests on our site has nearly doubled in the last few weeks.

When you advertise on Jaltemba Bay Life, your rental home, bed and breakfast, condo, apartment, trailer park, hotel, and/or business will be listed in our directory and be seen by hundreds of locals and visitors each and every day. That adds up to over 100,000 pageviews per month from people who are specifically interested in learning more about our area! (VRBO and other rental sites can't offer that.)

All vacation rental, real estate, and business reservations are handled directly BY OWNER. You pay zero commissions or referral fees. And because you list by owner, you can change your information, pricing structure, discounts, photos, and availability as often as you like.

We stand by our product and our commitment to the community -- that's why all fees are 100% money-back guaranteed.